Jack Rabbit’s In Old Saybrook Offers Gourmet Burgers & Dogs

I may have spent substantial time in other countries, I may have a wife and two children who are dual citizens, and I may have my sights set on a tropical island retirement—but I’m still American through and through. I can’t go very long without a serious craving for a hamburger or a hot dog. And while the simplest burger or dog from a backyard grill is plenty satisfying, I have a real weak spot for the kind of gourmet burgers and dogs that are becoming a trend. These gourmet joints will likely take some business away from some of the old popular standbys that play things straight and simple. But there should always be support for both types of joints.

Examples of this recent gourmet trend include Fairfield County eateries like Burger Bar & Bistro in South Norwalk and Burgers, Shakes & Fries in the Byram section of Greenwich and West Hartford eateries like Plan B Burger and The Counter.

Now, thanks to Jack Flaws,

one of my favorite Connecticut chefs, the eastern shoreline can boast its own wonderful gourmet burger and hot dog stand. Flaws, a former executive chef of noted restaurants, has already beguiled the townsfolk of Old Saybrook with terrific highbrow food at Jack’s Saybrook Steak and good lowbrow fun at his hot dog stand, Jack’s at Harbor One Marina (a.k.a. Dragon Dogs). Now, in Jack Rabbit’s, he has created a restaurant that splits the difference, taking burgers and dogs upscale while supplementing them with appetizers, salads and the like.

When we first arrived at Jack Rabbit’s, the gleaming store was empty.

An hour later, the place suddenly became mobbed, like the tide rushing in at the Bay of Fundy.

In between, we had great fun studying the menu,

soaking in the atmospheric details,

and best of all, trying the food.

Let me begin with the burgers. We sampled three. My difficult-to-feed, eleven-year-old daughter had the bacon cheeseburger and loved it. Touch down! My daughter is to food as the young lady in The Princess & The Pea is to bedding. Why, if my daughter had been Goldilocks, none of the bears’ porridge would have been acceptable. And if she had been Snow White, she might never have taken a bite of the witch’s poisoned apple.

The quality of the ingredients, the imagination of the combinations, the precision of the cooking—elevate Jack Rabbit’s fare above just about anyone’s. The burgers are certified Angus beef that has been blended to Flaws’ specifications. And unlike a Five Guys burger, Jack Rabbit’s will cook to your specifications, rather than insisting on drying out perfectly good beef by cooking it until it’s well done. Thus, a California burger with grilled onions, guacamole and a spritz of jalapeño oil couldn’t have been better.

And a Pepe La Pew burger with caramelized apple, smoked bacon and Brie cheese couldn’t have been lovelier.

I have such faith in Flaws and his flawless instincts that, if I lived closer to Jack Rabbit’s, I would make a point of trying every single burger.

But one shouldn’t forget Flaws’ hot dogs, because they haven’t exactly gone to the dogs, either. The menu is divided into classic and gourmet Dragon Dogs, with turkey, vegan, beef, Hummel, Red Hots and kielbasa options. Using a Red Hots, we tried a Bayou hot dog with chili, chopped onions and cheese.

Also outrageously tasty was a One-Eyed Jack of roasted corn relish, mustard, sautéed onion and bacon, which we had on a Hummel dog.

Another great reason to visit Jack Rabbit’s is its dirty wings. “How dirty are you?” the menu asks. Possible answers include G-rated, PG-rated, R-rated, and X- through XXX-rated. My other, fully grown daughter (eats just about everything except avocado) and I were challenged with an order of XX wings. My daughter was pretty game but eventually had to raise a white flag. I machoed through the sweet but hugely spicy wings and wished they’d been XXX just so I could have claim to have conquered the most extreme version.

We also had fun with jalapeño poppers with chipotle sour cream

and some sweet onion rings with French onion dressing.

We wound up a sensational, gourmet “fast-food” meal with great shakes, one made with coffee ice cream and the other a black and white.

My only regret was that I failed to notice the “Daily Specials” board—otherwise, I might have tried a couple of more items, including the fresh mint and chocolate shake.

Some final musings. One, considering its quality, the food at Jack Rabbit’s is as affordable as it is good, with most of its burgers priced $5 or less and none more than $7. Second, visitors need to be aware that Jack Rabbit’s closes early, supposedly by seven in the evening (although the night I visited there was a happy throng still waiting in line at that time). Third, it’s obvious to anyone who has helped start a fast-food chain, as I have, that Jack Rabbit’s could be an appealing prototype for a small local chain or a larger franchised one. I know I would be thrilled to have a Jack Rabbit’s locate closer to my home.

And lastly, if terrific, reasonably priced burgers, dogs, wings and shakes aren’t reason enough to visit Jack’s, then how about these smiles?

Jack Rabbit’s, 254 Main Street, Old Saybrook, 860-510-0048